California

• Amador County
  • Shenandoah Valley
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  • Paso Robles
• Contra Costa County
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• Lake County
• Lodi
• Mendocino
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  • Atlas Peak
  • Best of Napa
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  • Oakville
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• North Coast
• Santa Barbara
  • Santa Lucia Highlands
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  • Santa Ynez Valley
• Santa Cruz
• Santa Maria Valley
• Sierra Foothills
• Sonoma County
  • Alexander Valley
  • Bennett Valley
  • Best of Sonoma
  • Dry Creek Valley
  • Fort Ross/Seaview
  • Moon Mountain
  • Pine Mountain - Cloverdale Peak
  • Russian River Valley
  • Sonoma Coast
  • Sonoma Mountain
  • Sonoma Valley
  • Knights Valley

This is a very nice Cabernet Franc from the Napa Valley.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, tobacco, black pepper and slight forest floor.  Full bodied.  Nice, lush texture.  On the palate, black cherries, spice and char, layered and deep.  Great balance.  Long finish.  Delicious.  This is one of the better California Cab Francs.  Still needs another five to ten years until full mature, it will drink great over the next twenty years.  Nice on its own, it will work better with food.  Standing Rib Roast would be a nice match.  

This is 95% Zinfandel with 5% Petite Sirah from Sonoma County.  15,3% abv.  Garnet in color, clear and bright.  The nose has raspberries, black raspberries, slight bramble, and smoke.  Full bodied.  On the palate, raspberries, black raspberries and black pepper with some char.  As Zins go, this is middle of the road in style.  Delicious.  This drinks nicely on its own and will work well with a burger or pizza.  Drink over the next couple years.  

Green gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has slight grapefruits and baking spices.  Light bodied.  Thin.  On the palate, slight grapefruits with no oak showing.  Clean.  Refreshing.  A bit clipped on the finish.  This is solid with no faults but not particularly exciting.  However, an RRV Chardonnay at this price point is rare.  It drinks better on its own.  Drink over the next year.  

Always a nice value in sparkling wine.  Approximately 60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  Frothy with lots of small bubbles.  The nose is less toasty than I remember with more green apple.  Very clean.  On the palate, the green apple is present with slight minerality.  This is crisp and tasty.  Nice on it own, but also quite food friendly.  Fried foods would match easily.  Drink over the next couple years.  

Deep ruby in color with some purple swirls.  The nose has some cherry fruit with a bit of spice.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, cherries.  This is clean, simple and probably a bit past its prime.  Still drinking well though.  Drink up in the next few years.  

This is the little brother of Dominus (which was the Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year), so it was nice to try.  It was tasted completely blind.  My guess was a California GSM blend which I found interesting.  Not for being wrong, that happens a lot, but for how it tasted.  Purple in color, slight ruby at the rim, opaque and bright.  The nose has black cherries, black licorice, black olives and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, lots of black cherry fruit, some black raspberries, black licorice and a bit of earthiness.  Good balance in a new world way.  Nice fin

This was a new wine for me.  Purple in color, magenta at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is cassis, char and dist.  Light tannins.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, cassis with slight herbs.  This is an easy drinking Cab that seems to be at peak.  It drinks well on its own and would work well with pulled pork.  Drink over the next five years.  

This is a newer wine from Rhys.  It has some similarities to the Rhys style, but it should take a few vintages for Kevin Harvey to zero in on what he is looking for.  Green/gold in color, clear and bright.  The nose has lemons and vanilla along with spices.  Full bodied.  On the palate, this is young, but drinking well.  Lemons and vanilla comes thru.  At this stage, it will be a difficult food match but as it ages it should go nice with salmon or other "steak" fish.  Drink over the next ten years.  

This was a couple of steps better than the 2017.  Purple in color, ruby at the rim, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose is nice with black cherries, some raspberries, a bit of bramble and spice.  Medium to full bodied.  On the palate, this is drinking youthfully but delicious.  Light tannins.  Black cherries and some cherry fruit with a bit of baking spice and a bit of black pepper on the finish.  Great on it own, this would work well with grilled meats or fowl.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.  

This is another great value from Paso Robles.  A blend of 69% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Petite Sirah, 2% Syrah and 2% Malbec, this is tasty and a nice value.  Sure to be a crowd pleaser.  Purple in color, opaque and bright.  The nose is dusty, gravelly with black raspberries and slight black cherries.  Medium tannins.  Some complexity.  Lots of big fruit on the palate - black raspberries and black currants.  Good acidity.  Nice finish.  This should drink well for the next three to six years.  Nice on its own, it will work well with pizza, (veggie)burgers or ribs.